Worldwide Flight Services welcomes DSV at Liege Airport

DSV has awarded Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) a long-term European Gateway cargo handling contract at Liege Airport, where WFS will provide warehouse handling for cargo carried onboard all-cargo charters and commercial freighter services.

Supported by direct airside access and ramp services, the DSV Liege Gateway will consolidate and deconsolidate cargo for all European DSV entities to and from the company’s 15 most used trade lanes, including Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Dubai, and New York JFK. Aside from general cargo, the hub will be developed for special cargo, including pharmaceuticals and perishables.

The new operation is expected to complement the successful DSV Gateway hub in Luxembourg and will see WFS take responsibility for import and export cargo utilising capacity booked by DSV through Liege and on flights connecting through other surrounding airports.

dnata’s Air Dispatch achieved loadsheet milestone

Air Dispatch, part of dnata and supplier of centralized load control (CLC) services, celebrated the production of its seven millionth loadsheet in April. The milestone document was issued from the

Prague facility after it ensured the safe and efficient operations of a A330-300P2F cargo flight operated by Titan Airways on behalf of Geodis.

The dnata unit coordinates with stakeholders at all stages of the operations and provides 24-hour support for weight and balance issues. It can also coordinate transit loads well before the aircraft arrives, allowing for efficient turnarounds and improved on-time performance.

Air Dispatch has been offering quality and reliable CLC services to both legacy and new-generation carriers since 2007. Every month, the company’s 170-strong team produces over 60,000 loadsheets for 19 airlines operating from 392 airports.

DB Schenker opens logistics centre in South Korea

DB Schenker has its crosshairs on Northeast Asia as the German transport and logistics operator opened a 40,000-sqm global distribution and logistics centre at the Incheon Free trade zone in South Korea.

The KLC 2 warehouse, as it is called, is said to be one of the largest investments for DB Schenker in the region. The facility offers more than 40,000 square meters of storage space and features TAPA A, LEED GOLD certification, and adhered to NFPA standards.

The land area is 13,440 square meters, with one utility floor beneath the ground and seven floors above, including three mezzanine floors, which can be used for storage and logistics operations, including ancillary space for amenities and offices. Total gross floor area is 40,325 square metres.

Geodis boosts pharma offering in Asia, Middle East

Logistics operator GEODIS is strengthening its capabilities in transporting pharma and healthcare shipments by air in Asia Pacific and the Middle East with certifications across its network. The company received the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification for its locations in China (PVG), Indonesia (CGK), India (DEL and BOM), South Korea (ICN), Thailand (BKK), United Arab Emirates (DXB) and Singapore (SIN).

GEODIS said its customs brokerage and contract logistics services are of particular interest to pharma and healthcare decision-makers in the region, citing its warehouses in Singapore, which are GDP, GMP, and ISO13485 compliant.

Yusen Logistics continues its industry commitment to sustainable aviation fuel

Yusen Logistics has started a new service to offer the use of sustainable aviation fuel for air cargo starting April. The logistics company has been actively developing sustainable initiatives including the use of SAF since last year, and the new “Yusen Book-and-Claim” service can now be an option for its customers.

Yusen Logistics in late-March signed a contract with Lufthansa Cargo for the use of SAF from the month of April. It also renewed its commitment with the Eco-Skies Alliance program to promote the use of SAF together with United Airlines. The company aims to achieve net-zero emissions for logistics materials, other waste, and greenhouse gasses by 2050.

cargo.one enters China with Hongyuan Group

The company is rapidly becoming an important operator for air cargo services between destinations in China and across Europe and South America. The move is expected to boost sales and rapidly accelerate the digitalization of its sales processes.

Hongyuan Group has partnered with cargo.one in a landmark deal to offer its available capacity for instant booking on the air cargo marketplace. With over 20 years of professional cargo logistics service experience, the company is well known to freight forwarders for its high-frequency air cargo flights between China, Europe and the United States.

Hongyuan will offer self-owned capacity on B747-8F and A330-200F aircraft, including the option of booking up to 6 meter shipments, on cargo.one. The company has been building up its air cargo services since 2018 and is looking to cargo.one fast track its digital sales capabilities. The Chinese logistics operator will offer capacity to important destinations in China including Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu.

Dachser announces joint venture in Japan

DACHSER has signed a joint venture agreement with Japanese logistics company Nishi-Nippon Railroad and will open its first office in Tokyo at the end of 2023. The joint venture, DACHSER Japan K.K., will offer air and sea transport and will be connected to the forwarder’s close-knit overland transport network in Europe. It will be led by Yves Larquemin, managing director of DACHSER for South Korea.

DHL Global Forwarding tops up with Turkish Cargo in Istanbul

DHL Global Forwarding is strengthening its air cargo partnerships in Istanbul and has signed a memorandum of understanding that will extend its operations at Turkish Airline’s modern SMARTIST cargo facility.

Turkish Cargo supports DHL forwarding unit’s global hub concept with its vast knowledge and advanced operational capabilities at Istanbul Airport. Based on the MoU, DHL Global Forwarding will leverage SMARTIST, the mega cargo facility of Turkish Cargo at Istanbul Airport, as one of its global hubs. DHL said the cooperation will not only further improve each other’s operational efficiency, but also enhance Istanbul’s potential to become a leading logistics hub for the world. The two inked the deal at the IATA World Cargo Symposium held in Istanbul in April.

CargoAi’s new feature to drive ‘paperless’ transition

CargoAi has launched a new feature to support its freight forwarder users towards paperless transition, which could potentially improve efficiencies in the procurement process. The company has rolled out an FWB/FHL feature on CargoMART that will allow users to send all information required for ISC2, to comply with the new European customs standards. The feature is available for airlines on the air cargo booking marketplace.

Maersk Air Cargo starts new USChina service

Maersk’s new ‘customer-backed’ air corridor between China and the US is expected to plug a connectivity gap between the world’s two largest markets for ocean customers, with solutions for time-sensitive and highvalue cargo via new air services.

Earlier in April, Maersk Air Cargo introduced two new air freight services with regular flights linking the United States with China. The company commenced with two weekly flights between Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) and

The move comes as airlines and forwarders look to achieve the full use of electronic air waybills (eAWBs). IATA urged the industry to adopt 100% eAWB by the end of 2022, but this did not materialise. CargoAi aims to bridge the gap between paper and digital AWBs by facilitating the messaging for small- and mediumsized freight forwarders. Earlier this year, the company launched its own payments solution CargoWALLET, as well as emissions reporting

Shenyang Taoxian International Airport and two weekly flights between Chicago Rockford International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH). Both services will be increased to three weekly flights from May 2023, the carrier noted.

The two new routes will see three newly acquired Boeing 767-300 freighters in Maersk Air Cargo’s fleet put to action, tool Cargo2ZERO. These initiatives demonstrate CargoAi’s commitment to innovation in the air cargo industry. operated by Miami-based cargo airline Amerijet International.

Maersk Air Cargo started operations on March 20 with three weekly scheduled flights between Billund (BLL) and HGH. It also recently launched a new air freight service with regular flights between GSP and Incheon in South Korea (ICN), also operated by Amerijet International.

Chinese master loaders join WebCargo by Freightos

WebCargo by Freightos has partnered with three of China’s leading master loaders to offer global forwarders real-time access to Chinese air cargo export capacity. This innovation allows forwarders on WebCargo across Europe and North America to compare prices, book and pay across Sinotrans Global E-commerce Logistics (Sinoair), CIMC Anda Shun International Logistics (CIMC Anda Shun) and Sinotech Logistics (Sinotech).

This master loader capacity complements capacity that is already available on WebCargo directly from major airlines, giving freight forwarders maximum choice in the critical ex-China routes, and saving time and money. Unlike many airlines, these master loaders do not require forwarders to be IATA cargo agents.

Historically, China’s master loaders would offer services to local forwarders who would then resell capacity to overseas forwarders looking to import goods from China. All this will change with the new announcement, Freightos said.

JD Airlines widens its presence in Beijing

On April 26, JD Airlines officially launched a new air cargo route between Beijing and Shenzhen with a fully loaded B737-800BCF aircraft landing at Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). The airline will be operating the route six days a week, with a daily transportation capacity of up to 20 tonnes, of high-end goods offering capacity for high-end goods like fresh produce, fashion and luxury products, medicine and medical products. The newly launched route will also offer charter capacity for seasonal cherries during summer

GEODIS reveals e-commerce logistics site in the United Kingdom

GEODIS has unveiled its newest eLogistics site in Coventry, United Kingdom. The 7,000-sqm site, which opened in April, has the capacity to store more than 500,000 SKUs and can process up to 5,000 orders per day.

GEODIS eLogistics, which was launched in 2020, supports retailers in outsourcing their logistics operations. It offers a complete logistics solution for order preparation and personalisation, inventory optimisation, transport organisation and returns management. The company’s logistics solution allows e-commerce companies to efficiently outsource their logistics without the need for a large financial investment, thanks to shared multi-client warehouses and a more flexible contractual commitment.

JD Airlines plans to strengthen its collaboration with PKX and will continue to expand its air freight network and improve the supply chain efficiency for neighboring industry belts. Launched in August 2022, the carrier works closely with JD Logistics’ intelligent logistics parks, central warehouses, satellite warehouses, and sorting centers to form an integrated logistics warehousing and distribution network.

GEODIS has some 40,000 square metres of warehousing space dedicated to this offering. It now operates a total of six eLogistics platforms, scattered across the US, France and the United Kingdom, with space also available in Germany, The Netherlands and Italy.

Challenge Group makes ground in e-commerce

Challenge Group’s activity out of China is currently based on e-commerce demand which already makes up 30 percent of its business at Liège airport. ULDs from China’s leading e-commerce vendors, arriving from Zhengzhou and Hong Kong, are transferred to Challenge Handling’s dedicated second line warehouse, where they are broken down to house air waybill level and then built- up according to their destination country.

Challenge Logistics can then provide the middle-mile service to the distribution center at destination, where the last-mile provider takes over domestic deliveries. It also offers customs clearance at Liege. When it comes to handling lithium batteries which can be found in modern electronics, the group’s Challenge Airlines can transport items containing UN3480 and UN3090.

With all this in place, Yossi Shoukroun, CEO of Challenge Group, said the next logical step to develop an end-to-end solution is to expand in China. “Having noticed the change that is taking place in the supply chain business model in terms of stock management and delivery times, we are looking at new markets, China in particular. Our new, more agile fleet of four B767F could be deployed to link China and the Indian Subcontinent or Africa.” Shoukroun added that discussions are already underway with a major Chinese airport partner regarding a warehouse location. “A Chinese base will help us to further develop our end-to-end solution and reduce the delivery time to the final customer.”

DHL Express orders converted freighters from Mammoth

DHL is prioritizing the modernization of its long-haul fleet, including the replacement of older planes, and on 20 April, the company ordered nine Mammoth-converted B777200LR freighters from Jetran. The first cargo aircraft will be delivered in 2024, with the remaining aircraft to be supplied until early 2027.

The company said ordering converted freighters with a shorter useful life provides an efficient bridge between current and new airframe technologies, like that of new generation wide-body freighters such as the B777-8F and A350F.

DHL cited similar characteristics between the Mammoth-converted

B777-200LR freighter and the production freighter in terms of payload capacity (102 tonnes) and range (9,200 kilometers). From 2018 to 2022, the express operator ordered 28 new B777-200F freighters from Boeing, of which 18 are currently in service. The remaining aircraft will be delivered from 2023 to 2025.

Cainiao plans air cargo centre at Shenzhen Airport

Cainiao Network has partnered with Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport to establish an air cargo centre to support growing crossborder e-commerce parcel volumes from China to Latin America. The new flights are launched in partnership with Atlas Air and will operate twice a week, with a loading capacity of over 220 tonnes per flight. The new service will accommodate various product categories ranging from electronics to automobiles, with plans to launch more international cargo routes originating from Shenzhen.

The facility will play a key role in streamlining and optimizing parcel sorting and customs clearance processes for import and export goods at the airport. Goods shipped via air from Shenzhen and the Southern China region can enter the airport directly for loading onto cargo planes. Transit goods can also be seamlessly transferred to other ports and airports via the air cargo centre. This news follows Cainiao’s announcement of a three-year development roadmap for Brazil, with plans to launch nine sorting centers and 1,000 smart lockers across key cities.

Etihad teams up with China’s largest cargo airline

Etihad Cargo has again reinforced its commitment to the Chinese market with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China’s largest all-cargo fleet operator SF Airlines.

The new partnership will provide Etihad Cargo’s customers with greater connectivity to 25 domestic destinations in China via SF Airlines’ road feeder service trucking network. Etihad will utiltise SF Airlines’ network to transport cargo to other destinations in China via the Chinese carrier’s mega hub at Wuhan in Hubei Province. Etihad Cargo will operate the flights on a Boeing 777 freighter, with services commencing on 28 April 2023 in line with this partnership.

The memo is the latest step by Etihad in expanding its cargo operations in China. In February 2023, the carrier launched an additional direct freighter service to Shanghai, increasing the total number of freighter flights per week to eight.

Qantas to promote Vanessa Hudson as next chief

New Atlas Air chief to take the helm in June

Delphine Perridy Boile joins Envirotainer

Coming in the next issue: E-Commerce and Last-Mile Delivery

Payload Asia is set to release an issue on e-commerce and last-mile delivery to give an indepth look at the leading individuals and companies that are setting the bar in this fastgrowing vertical for air cargo professionals and logistics operators across the globe

We are calling on air cargo stakeholders, freight forwarders, valued-service providers, supply chain specialists, logistics software suppliers and cargo drone operators who are looking to make a global mark in the ever-evolving e-commerce and last-mile delivery landscape.

Leverage on the Payload Asia platform to enhance your messaging and branding, and get to promote and highlight your unique products and services through ad placements and advertorials, alongside editorial content on the following sections:

MATERIAL DEADLINE: 12 JUNE 2023